Nesting

Last week my sitter asked to take the night off to go camping. Of course... that would be fine... do you actually sleep in a tent?

Good question.

As it turns out, no, she does not. Instead she sleeps in a hammock in a tree.

What??!!

(ENO Hammock- stands for Eagles Nest Outfitters- see all the info and more pics on their website here- only $55!)

"Yes," she explains, "it is very Swiss Family Robinson"

Okay, now she is speaking my language.

While "outdoorsy" is one of the last words I would use to describe myself, I have always been enchanted with the idea of, well, an enchanted forest. I've fantasized about living in a tree house ever since I saw that most memorable film. I might claim such dreams of dwellings were an early indication of my future career as a designer, though I suspect that everyone who saw this movie wanted to live among the tree tops.

Surely we could figure out a way to install central air.

While searching for photos of the Swiss Family tree house among many of the (somewhat disappointing) mock ups at Disney World, I was reminded of this Ewok Village toy my friend had when we were young.

Produced by Kennar in 1983 and available here on eBay, if you must.

I was never really into Star Wars. I think I was a little young for it and my older sister was not a huge fan, that I can remember. Though these were the days shameless gender-specific marketing. Chances are we did not get an R2-D2 figurine in our Happy Meal but a My Little Pony (also launched in 1983). Not that I am complaining.

My friend with said village had an older brother.

And I loved it. There was something magical about these little people and their special world.

Bright Tree Village, on the Forest Moon of Endor. Duh.

On Thursday night I learned of a company called Magic Cabin that sells beautiful wooden toys. You can imagine my delight when I went online and found this:

The Tree Fort, here. Costs around $250- the SAME as a new-in-box Ewok Village. Equal in value? You be the judge...

(I do so prefer wood toys to plastic.)

Oh, and rest assured city dwellers, we too can camp out in our concrete jungles.

Happy Monday!

Xoxo,

Jenny

Summer hours

No sitter until tonight so I have to make this nap time count. As I look at the clock I am reminded of the beloved summer hours I enjoyed when I was working in an office. We all came to work at 8 instead of 8:30 in exchange for Friday afternoon off at 1 (or was it 1:30?). Around 11 everyone started getting a little antsy- hungry and anxious to be sure we got out the door at the designated time, if at all possible. Despite the "no meetings on Friday" rule, we often had them or were stuck trying to get proposals to a client or a stack of purchase orders in the mail before the weekend.

So, lets quit procrastinating, finish up for the week and get out and enjoy this summer while it is still here.

Oh, and to round out my fully-realized Michigan summer, I helped my sister-in-law make cherry jam yesterday. We spread it on toast this morning with cream cheese and it tasted like cherry cheese cake.

Divine.

Have a great weekend!

Xox,

Jenny

Dance off

Last night one of our friends hosted a 'ladies night' for any and all at her beach.

Everyone brought a dish. I am pretty sure I ate my weight in cream-cheese-based concoctions, and was reminded of a party my mom hosted a few years ago at the height if her Barefoot Contessa obsession. While I can't remember the name of a single dish, the invitation promised heavy hors d'oeuvres, and we giggled as we laid out the various spreads and crackers for what we still today refer to as her "dip party".

No reflection of the guests, of course...

Well, over a piece of my sister-in-law's famous berry pie (to offset the savory), our host told us of the years she and her husband lived in New York, in an apartment over the studio of the famed dance coach, Luigi Faccuito.

Luigi, she explained, had a theory that proper posture was the secret to the perfect physique (as I type this, hunched over my MacBook), and held lessons for women and men of all ages and sizes. He grew up in the theater, singing and dancing in Ohio, and suffered a near fatal car accident that left him almost paralyzed after he moved to Hollywood at 21. Fearing he would never walk again, he developed a method of stretching to keep his body limber and flexible and turned this into the basis for his training technique.

Hailed as the pioneer of jazz dance, Luigi has trained everyone from John Travolta on the set of Saturday Night Fever to Christopher Walken (though I have not figured out that one yet*).

Work it, John. Work it.

Luigi's star pupil,though, is Liza Minnelli, who he met in Hollywood when she was just a child. They have trained together ever since and he even toured with her a few years back.

Only in New York is it normal to have Liza Minnelli smoking on the steps of your apartment building. Got a light?

I called Luigi's studio and they still hold classes three times a day, six days a week. I don't know if Luigi, now well into his 80's, teaches all of these classes himself but at $20 a pop, it is certainly worth checking out. Find all the info and more, here.

Will definitely have to squeeze this into my next NYC itinerary.

And for those of us that rarely make it to the big apple, we can always buy the book, here.

In the meantime, remember:

Xox,

Jenny

*Thank you, Sister, for clarifying

In the field At Home

I need all the help I can get.

This classic is available here.

As you can guess, I am a sucker for home stores. While I don't usually buy anything, I always love to see who is selling what and any new products or lines I may have missed.

A fine example of one such store is Jetton Miller At Home in Sutton's Bay, Michigan:

Notice the sign on the far left, how conveeeenient...

Their selection is well chosen and diverse with a lot of great products for yourself and your host.

Gift giving is tricky, especially when it comes to hostess gifts. I don't want to force my style on anyone and resist giving items that are purely decorative or too individual, like scented candles. Edible or useful items make the best gifts, even if they end up being re-gifted.

I have no problem with the idea of re-gifting if the item is something you would actually give or something you think someone would enjoy (or find funny).

If I receive something I would never use or buy I will give it away or donate it.

While I usually don't give baby or wedding gift until the first birthday/anniversary (this is a problem- I am working on it), I really take great pride in the gifts I give.

Though if someone gives me beautiful soaps, and perhaps they were not the original purchaser, who cares? I would never presume that a gift was re-gifted, unless it is so hideous or out of left field that I can only HOPE that no one actually spent money on it with me in mind.

Please may I never give a gift that someone has to actually contemplate whether I have re-gifted or have no taste.

Okay, now that we have cleared that up, here are some favorite picks from At Home and a few other great hostess gifts for good measure.

While I love the selection of the Claus Porto soaps, I don't think the larger ones are very practical unless you would actually bathe with them or display them in their wrapper, but now we are decorating for our host and we are trying to avoid that. I prefer the smaller guests soaps in the upper right hand corner of my photo.

I try to avoid using the word "yummy" to describe anything but Pierce's food, but these remind me of a box of macaroons. And you can put one a few out for a party and then throw them away.

You can't go wrong with cheese and crackers, and who doesn't have room for another colorful cheese knife or two? Laguiole Cheese Spreader.

I first became familiar with this company when they were selling steak knives through Anthropologie. We did not have the drawer space to justify this purchase and they were a little too personal to give a few sets as a wedding present (I love them, but would they?). Happy to see that Anthro still sells a version.

Laguiole Steak Knifes, $78 here.

But back to cheese. A while back I gave this slate cheese board to some foodie friends who loved it. You write the name of the cheese in chalk.

$24.99 from Crate and Barrel, here.

I loved these plates, also from At Home, by Geri Mateus Studios. As you can see, I am all about the colors.

While foodies the world over have known about this forever, I only discovered this salt a few years ago and it has yet to disappoint:

I bought mine at Sur La Table for $10 then saw it at my grocery store for $7. It is available on Amazon here. Make sure to buy a box for yourself. The crystals kind of melt and you only need a pinch.

While this barely scratches the surface on all At Home has to offer, you can visit their website here for more of their products. Any favorite hostess gifts you would like to share? Please do!

Xox

Jenny

Plaid Men

After Six formal jacket and taffeta bow tie & Palm Beach madras patchwork (in)formal suit –from GQ magazine, 1973

With summer in full swing I thought I had to do a brief post on on of my favorite fabrics: Madras.

Actually, what really inspired this post is that my two oldest nieces are heading off to school in a month and are in the process of getting ready. As this is their first time away from home and the school will supply all necessary furnishings, the one design element that they really bring to the table is bedding. I remember going through this same process so many moons ago.

The pickins' were slim in 1992- but I knew exactly what I wanted. Laura Ashley was big then, especially where I grew up as it was on of the only stores that sold bedding in town, and I had always loved this Bramble pattern:

I can't remember if I bought the duvet cover or quilt, but whatever it was, it was lined in this pattern:

With the exception of my brothers Marimekko cars and trucks bedding, we grew up on a household with mainly white sheets. I did not venture out when I went away, and instead went with the old standby:

Traditional scalloped sheets, in blue, from Schweitzer Linens, here.

Now, for the girls, there are a million options our there. While I have not done a thorough search, I have loved this patchwork madras pattern from Pottery Barn kids since it came out a while back.

Patchwork Madras can be so overdone, or even just a little off, but this pattern is spot on. The colors work and it is fun and fresh and could be mixed with any number of patterned sheets to femme it up. If Pierce were older I would not hesitate to buy this quilt for his room and maybe even the curtains, with a few extra to make a slipcover for his club chair, and perhaps a slipcovered headboard and bedskirt. Actually, that would look great with an all white bed, just like mom used to make...

Here a few more of my favorites out there right now:

This is a good time of year to buy madras as it is on sale everywhere. Like this smart sport coat from J.Press, 40% off for $297, here.

You have got to love a company that still refers to pants as 'trousers'. And speaking of trousers...

I bought 'party pants' for Jack in this pattern a few years ago at Bahle's in Suttons Bay.

A sampling of Bahle's shorts, available here.

While I think patchwork madras can get a little preppy-centric, Brooks Brother's does it right with their version:

Clarke Plain-front Patchwork Madras Pants, $70.80 on sale here. (They have about three different seemingly identical styles in this pattern- I would suggest buying them all and keeping the one that fits best.)

Either way, Jack will definitely sport his plaid whenever Pierce dons this darling little number:

Look at all of that luscious hair.

Bella Bliss Shortall, $52 here.

But the boys don't get to have all the fun. While I have not found my dress or skirt to match Jack and Pierce, my cousin was sporting this dress a few weeks ago and I loved it...

Vineyard Vines Harbor Madras Shift Dress, here for details (though I was having a little bit of trouble with the website...)

And this cute versions for your mini-me:

Girl's Harbor Madras Tiki Dress.

I am a true believer in matching outfits with your childrens, in case you couldn't tell.

And if you are still hungry for more, check out this source for all things madras at... Just Madras.

I especially like the ice bucket, as you know I take my vino blanco on the rocks.

Okay, time to get to work

Xox,

Jenny

The simple life

Cherry Candles, available here at Olive and Cocoa

I have already told you about my cherry fetish, so of course could not resist when my sister-in-law invited me to go cherry picking with her and her children yesterday.

This was not an all-day adventure, I drove about four minutes to a cherry orchard between our house and town and we picked cherries for maybe an hour. Maybe.

A young boy, about ten, drove me on his four-wheeler to meet my group who were deep in the orchards by the time I arrived. The cherries hang low enough that even my five year old nephew had no trouble filling up his basket. This might even be the perfect mandatory-fruit-picking family excursions.

Growing up we drove an hour to the nearest apple orchard and the highlight was always the gift shop after picking, where we would buy cider and fudge. And of course the apple sauce my mom would make that night we would eat with a pork roast.

The most wonderful thing about this excursion, though, was meeting the lovely family who owned and operated the orchard. A couple with two children, a daughter, eight, and the son, my escort, ten, all lean and tan and helping to weigh and bag the cherries.

Let me not presume anything about these peoples lives. All I know is that they could not have been friendlier and had the kind of healthy glow you only see in a J.Crew catalogue. On the back of their t-shirts they had this logo: Work Hard- Have Faith- Play to Win.

Works for me.

Xoxo,

Jenny

Tick tock

Last week I asked my brother-in-law for some help with my Mac.

What was going to be a quick 10 minute tutorial turned into a 2 hour rehab of my entire operating system and the way I use and organize my computer.

And for that I am grateful.

So I am cleaning up my act.

And when I received something in my mailbox from GeorgJensen.com today I clicked the link only so I could unsubscribe. Until I saw this:

Faces and straps, available here.

(Though, really, $65 for a strap?)

Swept up in nostalgia, I could not possibly unsubscribe now.

I am pretty sure my first watch was a Swatch, to emulate my sister, and the trend sweeping the world in the 80's. Here are a few that look familiar:

Of course, why wear one Swatch when you can wear three? Or ten?

But at some point I took a page from my mom's book and bought a trusty Timex at Woolworth's with a striped strap from Smith's Men's Store in Lake Forest (sorry, no website).

The larger face of a man's watch not only looked good on my wrist but I love the touch of color on the strap and, as my mother always praised, the face was big enough to read easily.

Timex Easy Reader, probably $35 online though they are out of stock at the moment. A very similar style that includes the date is $40 here. The date, I find, really comes in handy and I catch myself checking it often.

This hipper, more retro/cool style is available through J.Crew, of course:

Timex, Vintage Field Army Watch, $150, here.

They have a selection of bands to go with it, as does Brooks Brothers.

But if you are really serious about this, lets stop wasting our time and check out J.Press, the last stop for proper, preppy attire:

I knew you wouldn't disappoint.

I am not quite sure why some cost $12 and others cost $29, but who cares. You like it you buy it, here.

When we were in Leland, last weekend, I saw the Slap watch in a little store along the water. Apparently I am really behind the ball on this one, as Ellen gave it away on her show and they a very extensive website.

Not only are they inexpensive, but the faces are interchangeable so the combinations are endless. You just have to buy more. See, here we go again...

I still associate slap bracelets with the urban legend (or truth) that they were pulled form the shelves after someone accidentally slit his wrists. These watches are rubber so that shouldn't be a problem.

And thumbs up to any product encouraging watch-wearing. Only after I started wearing one again, about a year ago, did I realize how often I would look at my blackberry to check the time and get distracted by an email or text.

Not with a watch, people. Not with a watch.

Xox,

Jenny